REVIEW: Fatale #23

Written by Ed BrubakerArt by Sean PhillipsColors by Elizabeth BreitweiserPublished by Image Comics

In issue #23, this strange, wonderful, and addicting issue, much will be revealed. Throughout the whole series, Brubaker has given us a character with unending angst and an ability that should scare the hell out of men because if it was a real ability, the male species would crumble. Where does he plan to take us after this story arc is complete? There is one more issue after number twenty-three, so we’ll have to wait and see.

What is Love? Baby, Don’t Hurt Me…

When I say this, keep in mind it’s not a spoiler because you realize what’s happening from the first panel: this issue is about sex…or making love…or unadulterated passion. Doesn’t matter which, Nicolas and Jo nearly spend this issue naked and having sex. Of course, it fits right in with the plot, because without that, Jo could never have hypnotized Nicolas into bring her back to her house to tell him her final secret. But she has other plans besides telling him; she wants to show him as well.

Much of Fatale #23 is from Nicolas’s point of view as he tries to understand what Jo is telling him and where she is taking him. He is confused, amazed, and downright scared at what he sees, but because of Jo’s reassurance, he allows her to pretty much do and show him anything she wants. The most endearing moments of this issue are when Nicolas describes love and the movement of time and the lovemaking through his eyes. It’s downright poetic.

What is Art? Baby, Please Hurt Me…

Phillips’s art is too damn sexy. In issue after issue, he manages to throw pulsating heat at you in terms of women, love, sex, and women. This issue won’t dissatisfy you either. Sure, most of the issue is Nicolas and Jo in the throes of passion, but what Phillips does to communicate Brubaker’s descriptions and dialogue verges on the border of genius and madness. Fatale #23 is a well-done fusion of words and pictures.

This second to the last issue of this arc won’t disappoint you. You’ll learn a secret, watch Nicolas come to grips with it, and relish how Phillips carries on the plot with seductive illustrations. This issue is not one to miss.